County Gives Update on Courthouse Parking Proposal

As reported last week by WNEG News, the Stephens County Board of Commissioners is considering adding accessible parking at the Stephens County Historic Courthouse in time for the early voting for the November 5 General Election. 

The topic was discussed at last week’s meeting of the Stephens County Board of Commissioners, where board members approved moving forward with expanding the parking lot at the Historic Courthouse adjacent to West Tugalo Street. 

Currently, parking directly on the courthouse property is limited to three parking spots, but research revealed historic photos of the Courthouse property showing that a large section of what is now landscaping between the north side of the building and West Tugalo Street was paved parking. 

At the direction of the Board of Commissioners, work will begin on the project to add parking to that area, removing one tree, with the remaining trees being preserved, and approximately 20 parking spots to be added, the majority of which will be handicap accessible parking. 

Following WNEG’s airing of the news story regarding the subject, significant public comment was generated by citizens concerned about the decision, with local residents commenting extensively on social media, as well as personally contacting county staff and elected officials to express their concerns about the plan.

WNEG News sat down with County Administrator Christaian Hamilton yesterday, June 17, to clarify the county’s plans and intentions regarding courthouse parking, as well as updates on project parameters taking into consideration citizen comments.

Hamilton spoke about the tree that is being considered for removal.Hamilton spoke about the tree that is being considered for removal, saying it is not a historic tree, but a Magnolia that was added in recent history, and is, according to reports from a landscape professional, unhealthy and would need to be removed regardless of any decision on the use of that area.

Looking at a preliminary rendering of the proposed project, which is included with this article on wnegradio.com, and considering the description of the planned parking area, the section that would be utilized is not commonly used for walking, recreation, picnicking or other citizen activities. Hamilton described the proposed footprint for the parking area.

WNEG asked if there would be an opportunity for public comment on the project.

Hamilton stressed that the purpose of the proposed parking area is not to increase the overall inventory of parking in the downtown district, but specifically to accommodate accessible parking for elections.

He also addressed comments and concerns from citizens regarding communication between the city and county. 

He said that, specifically regarding elections, the city and county work closely together

WNEG News will continue to monitor this issue and provide updates as they become available.